Bleacher Report - Front Page
Oregon's Starting QB Next Year Will Be a Transfer, but Won't Be Braxton Miller
Oregon has traditionally done a brilliant job of implementing the "next man up" philosophy. In this case, the "next man up" could literally move up a level of football.
Justin Hopkins of DuckTerritory.com reported on Wednesday that Vernon Adams Jr., the redshirt junior quarterback from Eastern Washington of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ranks, will visit Oregon this weekend.
The report adds Adams does have his transfer release from Eastern Washington. Jim Allen of the Spokesman-Review later reported Adams has received a scholarship offer from Oregon.
For the sake of conversation—nothing is official yet—let's say Adams decides to spend his last year of eligibility at Oregon. Beyond Braxton Miller, who has indicated he will remain at Ohio State, this is as good a fit as the Ducks are going to find.
That's important. Head coach Mark Helfrich told Stephen Alexander of the Portland Tribune earlier this month he would consider a transfer quarterback if it was the "right guy, the right fit."
Listed at a modest 6'0" and 200 pounds on his bio page, Adams isn't as big as now-former Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota. However, he has the athleticism necessary to be the cornerstone of the offense. His scrambling ability and field vision conjure up comparisons to guys like Russell Wilson, Johnny Manziel and Michael Vick.
Beyond his obvious physical gifts, Adams has been extremely productive in his years as a starter, as noted by the Spokesman-Review:
In 2013, Adams led the Eagles to a 49-46 upset win at Oregon State; last year, he threw seven touchdown passes in a 59-52 loss at Washington.
In three years, Adams has thrown for 10,438 yards, 110 touchdowns and 31 interceptions, while helping EWU go 35-8 overall and 22-2 in the Big Sky. For the last two years, he has finished second in balloting for the Walter Payton award for the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Primary backup Jeff Lockie is the presumed front-runner to succeed Mariota if the competition ended today. Behind Lockie are a few unproven quarterbacks. However, none of them have the combined athleticism and experience Adams has.
Furthermore, the last three times Oregon named a new starting quarterback—Mariota in 2012, Darron Thomas in '10 and Jeremiah Masoli in '08—the primary backup from the year before—Bryan Bennett, Nate Costa and Brady Leaf, respectively—did not get the starting job.
While there are no guarantees, Adams has to feel confident about his chances to start if he does transfer to Oregon. "I’m not going there to be a walk-on or a second-stringer," Adams told Allen.
The obstacle he would have to overcome is learning the offense at an accelerated rate. Because Adams is set to graduate in June, he wouldn't be able to join Oregon until the summer.
The good news for Adams is the Ducks' offense is quarterback (and stat) friendly. Even with no real household names on the receiving unit last season, Mariota was still throwing into large windows more often than not. Additionally, Oregon returns a talented group of running backs led by Royce Freeman.
Inserting Adams into that offense could keep it running at a high level. It has the potential to be unfair for opponents.
It's a unique situation for Adams to potentially transfer up a level and start, but clearly Oregon likes his style. Guys like Adams get passed up by bigger programs coming out of high school all the time for myriad reasons.
As a small-stature quarterback, Adams had to prove he can play at a high level despite his size. He's done just that; Adams is one of the few big names outside of the FBS level—or outside the Power Five conferences, for that matter.
Adams can play. Oregon is, at the very least, interested in what Adams can bring. This could be a beautiful marriage, even if it's the most unlikely kind.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.
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